How to rehearse 3 scenes in 90 minutes? Rush! This evening's rehearsal was a pacey affair as we couldn't access the rehearsal space until an hour after the usual time. However, the speed with which we attacked scenes 2, 4 and 6 reiterated a useful rule: the pressure of having to act quickly robs performers of thinking time, and so there can be less self-consciousness and more spontaneity. The result tonight was a lot of laughter. This is a great bunch of actors - every so often they will just hit a note that you hadn't spotted and the tone or meaning of a line, or even a whole scene, can change.
I think I set the tone by kicking off deliberately with a scene that is short and requires a lot of energy. Scene 4, The Occupier, became a brainstorming session for a marketing team thinking up ways to sell the Anne product.
After this 'warm-up' we looked in more detail at Mum & Dad (scene 6). I had originally determined that we had only two main speakers for this scene, but reading through it before rehearsal I had second thoughts. There seemed to be too many disparate ideas in the scene, so I split it up into sections and we played around by given each section to a new pair of characters - starting off with parents, then moving on to friend and ex-boyfriend, Anne's agent and a charity rep, her stoned artistic friends and a lecturer with her group of students. There was a lot of spontaneity in the character types which were largely thought up on the spot. Most surprising was the lecture scene - I certainly hadn't envisaged ending the scene with seven people on stage in an entirely different context. It has thrown up issues of staging these rapid changes and moving people on and off, but that is for another time.
Scene 2 delighted me. It was rushed, messy and chaotic but the actors grasped the spirit of the scene perfectly. A scene which should reflect the improvisatory nature of film makers bouncing ideas off each other while a pair of actors try to react to their myriad suggestions. I was quite surprised by the amount of comedy the performers brought to this scene, and we have a strong basis upon which to build and refine.
Another major development tonight was meeting Patsy - a very clever woman who is going to create the various images and animations that will run through the show. I'm particularly looking forward to what she comes up with for Scene 11.
Tomorrow is another short rehearsal, but we only have a couple of scenes to focus on so will hopefully be able to take our time over them more.
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3 comments:
I have now attended two rehearsals as Stage Manager and am mightily impressed by the company and director. The text is difficult to animate and Martin Crimp gives little clue as to how it could be tackled. I would find it daunting as a director and as an actor. To see the scenes grow as I have this week as been most impressive. I have been struck by the creativity of the actors and the ingenuity and stamina of Nathan as director. I am also pleased with the way the technical crew has grown with the addition of Patsy Bellow as visuals, designer, editor and operator. We have also taken Emily Tipper on board as Lighting programmer and operator. We are still working on Sound Operator and onstage film crew, so still need three others. I am learning to use the rehearsal video camera and Windows Movie Maker. Teaching an old dog new tricks, eh?
We filled both Lighting and Sound posts with the Tipper girls. We have Lizzie (?) as an Assistant Stage Manager and probably onstage film crew.
I have transferred the three tapes we have on to Windows Movie Maker. I hope to make CDs or DVDs of the three films. The tapes are now free for further recording.
I have experimented with live camera fed directly into the data projector and it works in the privacy of my study. I am hoping that we can reproduce the effect on Tuesday in the theatre. I still need a more robust trolley. My other concern is the power of the projector and the size of screen it can fill. It seems large in my study but will it be big enough on stage? Will it be powerful enough to compete against stage lighting?
I also need to correct the spelling of Patsy's surname, which has no "w" and is Bello.
Stage Manager update number 3.
I understand that while I was away on holiday in Spain, the company cracked Scene 17, the last scene in the play. On Sunday we cracked Scene 3, Faith in Ourselves.
On Sunday we met up again with Patsy and ironed out one or two aspects causing concern in the technical department re static projections. Vinnie arrived, in answer to a prayer, as onstage projectionist, leaving me as cameraman. Lizzie will be assistant Stage Manager in charge of props. Sharman will be Deputy Stage Manager in charge of book and timing. We need a production meeting on the 21st to make sure everyone is ok with duties. I had hoped to do it the week earlier but Thursday and Friday are already committed.
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